Actually she either wants a used Beetle or a Mini Cooper. I think she's leaning toward the MC. My main concern is that we live at least an hour from anyone who has experience working on MC's. My question is: How difficult are these vehicles to service and work on for an owner with a fair amount of mechanical know-how. I do the occasional brake job, water pump, etc. on our existing vehicles. Are parts readily available online? Any advice on model year? Any other suggestions or advice are welcomed. Thanks. Wade

 

I live over 2 hours from the nearest dealer. Now that my warranty is expired, all work is done by my local independent BMW mechanic. It does help that he owns a MINI himself, but there is nothing about the car that a similarly trained experienced mechanic can't handle.

 

getting a copy of that big mini manual is good, too.